Early nightfall plus Election Day could cause commute confusion

WASHINGTON – When Standard Time meets Election Day, the evening commute can become more complicated.

WTOP’s Director of Traffic and Transit Operations Jim Battagliese says commutes will become longer by 10 to 20 minutes for the next few days.

“You’re definitely going to see more people driving slowly on the roads. They’re not used to driving at night with their headlights on when they’re coming from work, so everybody drives a little slower.”

Battagliese says it happens every year when clocks get turned back, and commuters need to readjust to what they’re looking for and watch for deer.

“A lot of people get out of work at 5 o’clock, driving from 5 to 6, maybe 5 to 7, it’s definitely darker then, so they have to readjust to what they are looking, watch out for deer,” says Battagliese.

While traffic will get better after a few days, Election Day may further complicate traffic. While overall traffic should be lighter, some federal workers have the day off and traffic patterns could change.

“You will see that last-minute rush for people driving around neighborhoods trying to find their polling place,” says Battagliese.